Chinese Ambassador to Latvia calls to abandon the Cold War mentality and ideological prejudices

Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to Latvia Liang Jianquan answers Neatkarīgā's questions.

On July 1, the Chinese Communist Party will celebrate its 100th anniversary. During this time, great changes have taken place in China and around the world. The goals of the Chinese Communist Party have also changed. What are the key goals of China's main political force in these 100 years?

The Chinese Communist Party has a history of almost 100 years, and in a few days, it will celebrate its 100th birthday. 100 years ago, China suffered from the invasions of the Western powers, the corruption and incompetence of feudal rulers, the constant civil wars, the country's poverty and weakness, while the people suffered from hunger and cold. From the very beginning, the main task and goal of the Chinese Communist Party was to unite and organize the Chinese people, to end China's deplorable situation as soon as possible, and to realize the country's independence and the liberation of the people. These goals were achieved with hard work 28 years after the founding of the Chinese Communist Party.

Since the Chinese Communist Party became the main ruling party, it has persistently pursued the goal of adhering to the concept of people-centered governance and leading the Chinese people in creating a better life. After a long and difficult study, the Chinese Communist Party has led the Chinese people on the glowing path of socialism with Chinese features. The facts have shown that this path is in line with Chinese conditions, is absolutely right and is wholeheartedly supported by the Chinese people. As a result, China has undergone tremendous change. In the last 40 years in particular, China has adhered to the path of reform and openness, maintained long-term social stability, sustained economic development and continuously improved the living conditions of its people. At the end of last year, the middle-income group in China had more than 400 million people. By current standards, all the poor in rural areas have escaped poverty. Enrollment rates in compulsory education are close to 100%, urbanization is close to 64%, basic health insurance covers more than 1.3 billion people and pension insurance - almost 1 billion people.

Today, China is at a new historical starting point. It will soon achieve the first goal of the century - to complete building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and will move towards the second goal of the century - to create a modern socialist state by the middle of this century. This new starting point is a comprehensive deepening of reforms, following a new vision of innovation, coordination, green, open and shared development, and the persistent promotion of high quality and sustainable development to enable the Chinese people to live an even better life. This new starting point also means that China will continue to pursue an independent and peaceful foreign policy, pursue a path of peaceful development, open up to the wider world and commit itself to safeguarding world peace and promoting common development. The world is undergoing tremendous, unprecedented changes in this century. The international environment is becoming increasingly complex, with human society facing more risks and challenges. Only by adhering to the principles of mutual respect, equal treatment and mutually beneficial cooperation, seeking common ground while maintaining differences, abandoning the Cold War mentality and ideological prejudices and working together to build a community with a common future for humankind, can countries effectively address the various difficulties and challenges and together build a better world.

In response to the latest census results, China launched a three-child policy in May 2021. Why was this policy introduced? What is its meaning?

The Chinese leadership put forward a policy of three children for each couple (hereinafter "three-child policy") and support measures based on the national circumstances of China's demography. Aging is a general trend in global demographics and also a key condition for China in the longer term. According to the latest statistics, the proportion of people aged 60 and over in China has reached 18.7%, which is likely to continue to rise. The implementation of the "three-child policy" will contribute to improving the age structure of the population and promoting the long-term balanced development of China's demography. In addition, with the continuous improvement of China's urbanization, industrialization and modernization, the promotion of higher education and the improvement of social security, the concept of "lower and better birth rates" has become a key trend in social fertility. At the same time, the number of women of childbearing age is declining, the age of marriage and family formation is being postponed, and people's desire to have offspring is declining. The implementation of the "three-child policy" will help to free the people's desire to have offspring and reduce the tendency of declining the birth rate.

At the end of May, Lithuania withdrew from the "17+1" cooperation format. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis called on other European countries to do the same. Landsbergis pointed out that "from the point of view of the European Union, it is time to move from the split 16+1 format to a more unified and efficient 27+1 format". How does China view Lithuania's decision? Are there any signs that other countries will follow Lithuania's example?

Cooperation between China and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe is an interregional cooperation mechanism set up at the joint initiative of China and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. It embodies the desire of all parties for mutual cooperation and common development. In the nine years since its inception, cooperation between China and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe has yielded fruitful results and tangible benefits for the people of all the countries involved. In promoting cooperation, all parties shall at all times adhere to the principles of voluntary discussion, joint contribution, openness and inclusion. We have always considered this mechanism to be a useful and important complement to Sino-European relations, and we welcome its cooperation with other countries and international organizations.

An online Summit of China and Central and Eastern European Countries was held in Beijing on February 9 this year. Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the summit and proposed a number of important measures to promote pragmatic cooperation, including China's plan to import more than $ 170 billion worth of goods from Central and Eastern Europe over the next five years and double Chinese agricultural imports from Central and Eastern Europe countries over the next five years and increase bilateral agricultural trade by 50%. The achievements of this summit are currently being continuously implemented. In the future, China is ready to continue to share development opportunities and results of cooperation with all parties to achieve stable and lasting growth of cooperation between China and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Promoting cooperation between China and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe is in the common interest of all parties involved and will not be affected by individual events.

The Taiwan issue faces an increasing number of challenges. One of the most recent was China's official warning to Japan on June 8, following the mention of Taiwan by Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga at a parliamentary meeting on June 7. Recently, the West has shown increasing political and military support for Taiwan. Does China consider this to be a threat to China's security and territorial integrity?

As is well known, Resolution 2758 adopted in the 26th Session of the UN General Assembly in October 1971 recognized that the only legitimate government of China, representing the entire Chinese people, was the Government of the People's Republic of China. It fully embodies the one-China policy followed by the UN and has become a fundamental norm in international relations. There is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is an integral part of Chinese territory. This is the general consensus of the international community.

I would like to emphasize that the Taiwan issue concerns China's main interests. We oppose any kind of official exchange between the Taiwan region and countries with diplomatic relations with China. China urges the countries concerned to adhere to the one-China policy, not to establish formal relations or formal exchanges with Taiwan, to address Taiwan issues properly, not to send any wrong signals to Taiwanese independence forces, and to take concrete steps to support peaceful cross-Strait relations and maintain the overall situation in bilateral relations with China.

One of the steps the US could take in the Sino-US talks to increase pressure on China is for the US and its allies to boycott the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. If that does happen, then the 2022 Winter Olympics could become a minor event. What is China's response to calls for a boycott?

The politicization of sport runs counter to the spirit of the Olympic Charter, is detrimental to the international Olympic goal and the interests of athletes from all countries, and is unpopular. The whole international community, including the governments and the Olympic Committees of many countries and the International Olympic Committee, is clearly opposed to this mistake. The parties concerned must stop using the Olympic Games for political manipulation and should not stand in opposition to athletes from all countries and fans of the Winter Olympics. The IOC praised the smooth preparations for the Beijing Winter Olympics, acknowledging that "although Covid-19 posed great challenges, China's preparations have reached the highest standards." We are pleased to see that in the run-up to the Beijing Winter Olympics, a number of outstanding talents from around the world have gathered on the Organizing Committee of the Winter Olympics to show Beijing their support and love for the Winter Olympics. Among them, experts from Latvia are responsible for the preparation of the luge and bobsleigh project for the Beijing Winter Olympics. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, Latvian experts have been staying in Beijing and working side by side with the staff of the organizing committee of the Beijing Winter Olympics. China is confident of working with all parties, including Latvia, to make the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics a special and outstanding Olympic event.

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